Polite Media Notification: Charity bike ride completes Heaphy Track in three days, with broken rear wheel
Rider raising funds for St John relieved to arrive in Collingwood intact
Aucklander Dunc Wilson, who is attempting a full circumnavigation of New Zealand by bicycle to raise funds for St John, was relieved Friday night to complete the Heaphy Track and ride on to Collingwood - all with a broken rear wheel.
"I first noticed the split in the rim on Wednesday morning, as I was preparing to leave Karamea," said Dunc.
"I had DOC huts booked, a hired PLB for only a week, no bike shop nearby, so my only option was to bandage up the wheel, go easy on it and hope for the best. I spent the first few hours of the ride formulating a series of back-up plans, should the rim fail, so I feel I was well covered."
Three riding days later and Dunc arrived safely in Collingwood, where the local motor camp owners kindly donated him a cabin for the night.
"It was a nerve wracking time. The other bikers I showed on the track couldn't believe I was going for it with a split wheel, but it just kept holding on, even against those huge rocks coming down from Perry Saddle!"
Cable ties can fix almost anything!
Dunc's Big Bike Ride began on 2nd January from Mission Bay, a harbour beach east of Auckland's CBD. The route so far has taken him south along the eastern side of the country, west at the Catlins, before turning north at the Southland township of Tuatapere and heading up the West Coast.
"I have to ride the closest legal, available and rideable route to the NZ coastline," explains Dunc.
"The Heaphy Track was perfect as it offered me a way through to Golden Bay, without having to ride that Takaka hill thing twice! Although, I am looking forward to trying it out, since everyone from Wellington to Invercargill has gone on about it!"
With the help of Gary at Collingwood Motor Camp, a temporary fix was applied to the wheel, but a new one isn't available until sponsors Bike Barn get one to Nelson. The ride will now head briefly west to Pakurau River before tracking up to Farewell Spit.
"I've always heard great things about Golden Bay and now I get to experience it at a decent pace."
Dunc expects the ride to take around seven months all up, with the South Island completed by early June. He's raised $3,600 so far for St John, with a target of $10,000.
Donate: givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/seawaynz
Like: facebook.com/DuncWilsonNZ
Track: maps.duncwilson.co.nz
Hashtag: #SeawayNZ